The Beginnings And Ends Of Frank And Alice
by Belldere
Summary: Chapter One: Alice's sister knows exactly who Frank Longbottom would be perfect for - pure fluff, can be read alone. Chapter Two: Frank and Alice are happy, if not a little tired, with their beautiful son Neville but a surprise visit from Alice's sister turns sinister when the Death Eaters come knocking. - OC death.
1. Chapter 1

Frank Longbottom had just enjoyed his first month of head-boyship and, besides a few altercations with the infamous Marauders, it had all been going very well until he ran into a bit of trouble in the form of a Hufflepuff fifth year named Nelly Payton.

Nelly was a particularly loud and crazy brand of witch, accused of setting off over a dozen firecrackers in Filch's office.

Frank was the first on the scene and was forced to take points from her house and place her in detention.

By the looks of Filch, Frank reckoned he had probably done her a favour.

And looking at Nelly she knew it too.

As head boy Frank had had to oversee the detention himself where he was told, by Nelly, that he was incredibly cute and would be taking her, as his date, on the next Hogsmeade weekend.

Frank was so flustered and surprised by Nelly's forthrightness that he said yes before even thinking about it.

Their date started at the agreed upon time outside the front doors of the castle.

Nelly talked animatedly about Quidditch and their classmates while Frank listened politely, only speaking when asked a direct question.

Nelly laughed raucously at the slightest things, was easily distracted, and delighted in pulling pranks on passers-by.

Frank was mildly amused but not to the same extent as Nelly.

The pair ended up in the unlikeliest of places in the whole of Hogsmeade.

Madam Puddifoot's tea shop.

Frank sat across from Nelly, silently stirring his coffee and listening to Nelly's inane chatter with reserved interest.

He had just started to lose focus when Nelly straightened up in her seat grinning and said "This is a crappy date isn't it?"

Frank jolted out of his stupor "What?! No… um… I... I thought it was just me" he admitted apologetically which only widening her smile.

"Not good at all" she laughed.

"I actually hate this place" Frank said smiling ruefully.

"Me too! It sucks!" She said loudly, prompting dirty looks from surrounding couples and the plump, black haired owner herself.

Frank stood and Nelly jumped to her feet eagerly "Friends?" She said holding out her hand, but before Frank could take it she yelled "Wait! There's my sister! You two would be perfect for each other! I'll go get her!" and without another word she shoved Frank back into his seat, squeezed through the irate crowd, and ran down the street to catch her sister.

Nelly returned dragging a girl, who looked very much like a slightly older, less wild, version of herself, behind her.

She had a plump face, beautiful, kind, brown eyes and long black hair pulled into a bun.

"Frank" Nelly said, pushing her blushing, protesting sister forward "this is your future wife Alice" Alice blushed profusely and turned angrily on her sister who winked and darted from the room before either of the pair could protest.

After a few moments Alice sat down awkwardly.

"You don't have to do this..." they said in unison.

Alice blushed again and Frank shifted in his seat.

"So, um, Alice, what year are you? I don't think I've seen you around much..." the statement hung in the air for a moment making Frank feel stupider as the seconds ticked by.

"I'm a sixth year, Hufflepuff, I've seen you a bit. You're head boy" she smiled shyly at him "you must be very happy with that" Alice looked into his eyes for the first time.

He was very cute, normally Alice would never have been able to pluck up the courage to talk to a boy as popular and good looking as Frank... but he seemed quite shy himself.

"I really am. I thought there would be a lot more trouble by now but so far it's only been those fourth year boys, call themselves Marauders, and your little sister."

"Yeah Nell can be a bit of a handful" she chuckled softly "How do you know her anyway?" Alice added nervously.

"She asked me on a date after I gave her a detention" Frank admitted turning bright red "but she said our date was awkward and we agreed that we should just be friends."

Alice frowned "Typical Nelly, trying to set me up with someone she was on a date with. I'm sorry by the way."

"Please, don't worry about it. I think Nelly is a bit too... well you see she's... she's awfully loud" he finished lamely.

Alice laughed "Yes she is" she smiled affectionately.

"Not really my type" he said with the smallest of smiles "I think I'm having much more fun with you."

Alice stopped short.

Nobody had ever had more fun with her when her sister was around.

"I'm having a lot of fun with you too Frank" she said sincerely, Frank couldn't help but grin at the sound of his name on her lips "but maybe we should go somewhere less awful" she added in a whisper.

Frank laughed and stood up.

He held out his hand to help her up and didn't let go until it was time to return to their separate dormitories.

He walked her to the Hufflepuff Common Room.

And sealed the date with a kiss.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hey Nell do you want another biscuit" Frank offered holding out a tin of ginger newts to his sister in law.

Nelly grinned and snatched the whole tin prompting a mock disapproving look from her sister Alice who was leaning her head on Franks shoulder and holding his hand in both of hers.

Frank and Alice had been enjoying their short allotted 'quiet time' while Neville snoozed upstairs when Nelly had come over for an impromptu visit to talk excitedly about her brand new job as a crime reporter for the Daily Prophet.

Nelly had had almost every job known to man; she just couldn't decide on what she wanted to do.

So she did everything.

It was her presence alone that was keeping them both from slipping into the serenity of sleep.

Frank was starting to feel quite resentful towards the sister in law that he loved as if she were his own sibling, so much so that she actually noticed his irritation.

So Nelly decided to dash upstairs and see her Godson before she took her leave.

She was almost at the bottom of the stairs when the alarm sounded.

Alice and Frank leapt to their feet wands out.

Auror training winning out over sleep deprivation.

Alice whirled on her sister "Get upstairs, get Neville and get out."

Nelly gaped at her "I can't leave" she croaked "you go" she added looking frightened "he needs a parent. I can fight" she paled at the thought "you or Frank have to leave with him."

Alice ignored her and set about attempting to reinforce the charms around the doors and windows, it wouldn't be long until the Death Eaters were upon them.

She and Frank had heard whispers this might happen.

Frank gripped Nelly's shoulders and looked her dead in the eye "Nelly, Alice and I are trained Aurors and members of the Order of the Phoenix. We're the best equipped to handle these sorts of people."

Nelly opened her mouth to argue "Please Nell" Alice pleaded her kindly face twisted in agony at the thought of her family in danger "you're our best hope at getting him out of here. They're here for us, if one of us isn't here, they'll go hunting for them and they'll kill my baby. Please take him; they don't know you're here, please Nelly."

Nelly's face crumpled in defeat as the door banged on its hinges.

"You have to make it out of here Nell; you don't really want my mother to raise Neville do you?" Frank chuckled darkly.

Nelly pulled them both into a frantic hug, tears pouring down her face.

"Just live ok? Please just stay alive. I love you both."

"We love you too Nell" Alice said, pulling out of her sisters embrace and directing her wand at the cracking wood of the door "now go. We'll take care of this scum."

Nelly threw them one last fleeting look then flew upstairs.

She heard the door blast open and a laugh that chilled her heart.

Bellatrix Lestrange was on the scene.

Nelly held back a terrified scream as she made it unseen into Neville's bedroom.

"Silencio" she whispered, waving her wand at the stirring baby, before taking him into her arms.

She couldn't apparate.

Besides being extremely dangerous to babies, there was an anti-apparation/disapparation charm upon the entire block and Nelly had never been strong at the subject either.

She slid the window back and climbed onto the sill, stuffing her wand into the knot in her hair.

The first scream came from Alice.

Nelly choked back tears as the silent sobs wracked her body.

Then she jumped.

Nelly had always been excellent at falling.

She hit the ground then rolled, her armed protectively encompassing her nephew.

Nelly took a deep breath and tried desperately to block the screams ripping through the air as she ran.

They had trusted her to keep their son safe, she couldn't go back.

Not with him.

She jumped the fence to the neighbouring yard and sprinted parallel to the road, Neville was wailing silently as Nelly hurdled the next fence.

One more leap and she would be in the Bones' back yard.

They were good people; they would help her, help them.

Nelly felt like crying with happiness when she had made it over...

Steps... she was just steps from the back door when something caught her ankle.

Nelly was thrown off her feet; the wind was knocked out of her as her chest hit the ground hard.

Neville rolled out of her arms as she was dragged backwards by her ankle, her nails dug into the dirt in a futile effort to stop whatever it was from taking her.

Her struggles were useless, even now she could feel it wrap around her waist, her chest, her throat.

Suffocating her slowly.

Nelly could see Neville peering at her confusedly, unable to understand why aunty Elly was acting so strangely or why the plant was lifting her off the ground.

Nelly couldn't believe it.

Devils Snare.

She was going to die, and by a plant no less, Herbology had been her best subject! She knew the perfect spell to get away.

If only she couldn't reach her wand!

Everything was fading; she couldn't see the stars anymore.

She wasn't supposed to die! She was supposed to take care of Neville...

Neville's face was blurring and Nelly could see a light in the distance, but it was coloured, yellow, and strange, not how she expected at all.

There were shadows in the light.

Two tall and one very small.

It took her last remaining ounce of understanding to realise she was still alive, though barely.

She had to tell them something, what to do with Neville once she was gone.

There was no saving her now.

"Augusta" she rasped out "only Augusta."

Then she struggled no more.

Mr Bones had immediately called off the Devils Snare he and his wife had set up against intruders, but it was too late.

Nelly's pretty face, so like her sisters, was pale in death.

Mrs Bones scooped up Neville, who hadn't seen the death of his Godmother, too distracted by the newcomers, and hastened to alert the Aurors while her daughter Susan toddled inside after her.

Many things happened in the week that passed.

Alice and Frank were discovered, with irreparable damage to their brains, along with their torturers.

The Bones' had their Devils Snare removed under the order from the Auror office.

Nelly was buried.

And Neville was sent to his grandmothers as she had intended.

Neville never understood why he had to study magical plants from such a young age but he grew to love them the more he learnt.

Learning to recognise and protect himself from these dangerous plants became a top priority in his life.

Of course when Neville learnt of his Godmothers demise he shied away from his favourite topic, but after finding a picture of his eccentric aunt Elly helping Professor Sprout bandage the Whomping Willow, his passion returned.

He asked an uncle about the photograph, he laughed and explained how Nelly had always been mad about plants and if she hadn't been so worried about her sister she would have, quite easily, have spotted the deadly plant.

In a way Neville was glad, he had found something in common with someone in his family, where he had never felt like he'd fit in.

He promised to himself that he would try as hard as he could in Herbology, and make his unfortunate, eccentric, plant-loving Aunty proud.


End file.
